The Surfing Butterfly, a personal blog of a very ordinary foreigner fulfilling her bond obligations in sunny Singapore, while pursuing an idealistic path towards helping people and companies reach their fullest potential. Or at the very least, make the world a little happier to live in.

Category Archives: Environment

Nearly a year of awareness-building for Bukit Brown, it is still an issue ignored by the larger, mainstream Singapore community. Maybe, it is mainly because Bukit Brown a.k.a “Coffee Hill” is a Chinese burial ground, and death is always a taboo topic. No human being, except probably the Mexicans with their ‘memento mori’ culture, like … Continue reading →

Originally posted on Forest Justice: ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF PEATMAS, THE PLANTATION GAVE TO ME 8 BRANDS IMPROVING! In no particular order/ranking, these are 8 brands, who are in some way, stepping up to the plate to work towards making sure they use sustainable palm oil, and protect the fates of tropical forests, peatlands,…

This morning, as I looked out the window while eating a bowl of warm oats with banana and apple slices, my attention was drawn to a man holding something in his arms, 11 storeys below me. I wasn’t wearing my glasses then, so I thought it was a baby. Anyway, that isn’t the point. This … Continue reading →

Another reason to protect the Malaysian rainforests: We are home to the only known blood-sucking moth of the Lepidoptera order, the Calpe eustrigata. It was first found in Malaya (now known as Peninsular Malaysia) by Hans Bänziger in 1968. There were further studies on them in 1970, 1975 and 1979. But, major research on it … Continue reading →

Bhutan, the country with a unique philosophy of measuring “Gross National Happiness” instead of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has a new goal: To be the first 100% organic nation. Interesting that for a country without wealth and modern education, they are extremely forward-thinking. More on Bhutan’s pledge to be an organic nation here: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=40,11126,0,0,1,0 Related … Continue reading →

A representative from a laminating company came by to the office today. It was eye-opening. I’m not joking, it was a tactilely and visually pleasing presentation. My colleagues and I were told how layers of paper can be compressed and designed to look like marble, concrete, wood, vinyl, glass, and even mirrors. I have doubts … Continue reading →

Every month, a bookseller comes by with an array of new magazines and books on interior design, architecture and landscaping. Some of these are subscribed by us – Those we keep. There are new ones too. For these, the bookseller will leave them with us for a few days so that we can scan through … Continue reading →

Anyone interested in changing our mindset for the sake of humanity must read Andrew Revkin’s “Anthropophilia” along with Daniel Goleman’s “Anthropocene Thinking” and Scott D. Sampson’s “Interbeing”. They can be found in Edge.org, but nothing beats reading these ideas on paperback. Have you got your “A-ha!” feeling today? If not, go and read one article in the Edge.org website now. Don’t end the day without learning something new. Continue reading →

Have you watched Ethos yet? If you haven’t, please do. It’s a short documentary film that shows how unregulated corporate power affect politics. It shows how media is designed to control our buying habits to drive the economy. It shows how consumerism drives the push for more resources, exhausting our local resources, which later provides … Continue reading →